The first call took him by surprise. The second and third, even more so.
By the time the fourteenth call came in, it was all Niklaus Mikaelson could do to keep himself from laughing aloud, filling the empty leather spaces of his sports car with something that sounded uncannily like joy.
Happiness.
It was something he hadn't felt coursing through his rusty old veins in a long time—or, one might say, for literally centuries on end.
As much as it ached him not to reach over and answer the damn mobile, to caress the gentle intonations of her words—angry, happy, wheedling, bemused—against his ear, he hardened himself against it, tightening his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white and the metal began to buckle underneath the pressure of his hands.
(He wryly noted that he'd probably have to visit the automobile body shop after this little voyage was over, buff out the manifestations of his, er, rather obvious excitement. But it was no matter. Nothing could possibly lessen his elation at this moment.)
His strange but ultimately logical reasoning was that, if he never picked up, she'd be obligated to keep calling, especially if the subject in question were something of monumental significance. To be honest, it probably was, seeing as how those were the only times during which Caroline ever willingly attempted to initiate contact with him.
And while he didn't actually answer the phone, that didn't mean he couldn't occasionally glance at his mobile screen and let his eyes dance over the words there, which read—
Incoming call from Caroline Forbes ;)
"Oh, Caroline," Klaus chuckled, accelerating his vehicle out from behind an over-sized rig carrying fresh produce. "If ringtones be the food of love, play on."
But he hadn't even gotten to the best part—the plethora of imploring voicemails she left. It was the only time he even allowed his hands to stray from the steering wheel towards his mobile device. He listened intently, foolishly grinning to himself.
"Klaus, now is not the time to decide that you are over me. I'm gonna call you every ten minutes until you get your ass here to save Damon's life."
She made good on her word, as Klaus had predicted.
It bothered him that Caroline could ever begin to think he was over her. No, he was just beginning to fall under her spell. Besides, as much as it gutted him to admit, he liked to feel needed, to feel wanted. After a while, loneliness did take its toll…even for a monster like him.
And Caroline Forbes wanted him, Niklaus Mikaelson, even if it was for all the wrong reasons.
So, let her have Tyler Lockwood. The insufferable hybrid boy could never offer her what Klaus could; and once that realization had dawned on him, he'd reluctantly come to peace with their relationship. No use holding her against her whims. Let it play out. Let the flickering flames of their juvenile romance dissipate and die. Then, the dream would begin.
He would be the better man. He would wait.
And waiting was nothing. He had all the time in the world.
